SELF-RULING Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

self-ruling

adjective

ˌself-ˈrü-liŋ

as in democratic

of, relating to, or favoring political democracy having rid itself of the yoke of colonialism, the new nation chose to be a self-ruling state

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as in independent

not being under the rule or control of another was granted special status as a self-ruling province

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of self-ruling Not only that, but Greenland, a self-ruling territory of Denmark, lacks the infrastructure and manpower required to make this mining dream a reality. —

Matt Egan, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026 Like Assad before him, Sharaa now faces complex negotiations toward bringing these self-ruling territories under his command. —

Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025 The dispute began when Takaichi, who was elected last month, told lawmakers that a hypothetical Chinese attack on self-ruling Taiwan, which at its closest point is about 70 miles from Japanese territory, could threaten Japan’s survival and trigger a military response from Tokyo. —

Peter Guo, NBC news, 25 Nov. 2025 In recent years, Beijing has ramped up economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan – a self-ruling democracy the Chinese Communist Party claims as its own despite having never governed it. —

Eric Cheung, CNN, 13 Mar. 2023 In a meeting earlier with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Raisi expressed support for China's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong and claim to self-ruling democratic Taiwan. —

Bradford Betz, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-ruling

Adjective

Ideas expressed in the piece Bianco’s ballot seizure and investigation represent a threat to democratic elections, as the sheriff is operating outside legal boundaries established to protect election integrity and chain of custody over ballots.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Reforms often required strong executive power, largely at the expense of social stability and democratic legitimacy; protests against the IMF’s programs left scores dead as authorities repressed dissent.

— Sven van Mourik, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026